Meet Vivian: Her Inspiring Walking Football Journey

The sun is out, and the Tartan Army have arrived in Miami. We look forward to the next World Cup game and Scotland’s first appearance at the UEFA Walking Football Cup in Nyon, Switzerland, on the 24th June. 

Women's Walking Football has been fast-growing over the past decade, and it was a woman and former trustee, Vivian Wallace, who brought walking football to Scotland back in 2012.

Previously, Vivian worked as the Ageing Well Co-ordinator at Midlothian Council and was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List in 2024 for her services to older people. We caught up with Vivian (61) to talk about her pioneering passion for Walking Football and her experience as a player for Midlothian Women's Walking Football team and being selected to play for Scotland.

Can you tell us a wee bit about your background? 

I used to run the Ageing Well project in Midlothian, a physical activity programme for the over 50s run with volunteers. The project was successful, but it was mainly women who took part in it.  In 2012, I was trying to get more men involved. I thought walking football would work as a way to get the project more user-friendly for men. And of course, football is the nation's favourite sport.

It was just an off-the-cuff idea that I said to two guys:

What do you think about slowing down football and getting older people to play

It grew arms and legs. We came up with a set of rules on a sheet of paper.
and tried it out with a few guys. We got some former players from Hibs to come to support the launch. So that was back in 2012, and here we are today. Age Scotland was involved at the start as well, because Brian Sloan (former Age Scotland Chief Executive Officer) loved the sport. Nationwide, I would say there are about 200 clubs across Scotland now.

What position do you play?

My favourite position is attacker, being up front or in midfield. I don't like defending as much, especially not being in goals!

How often do you play?

We play twice a week. Our sessions are open. They are run through the Ageing Well project. They take place on Tuesday evenings at the Gorebridge Leisure Centre and Thursday evenings in Bonnyrigg

What benefits have you experienced since taking part in Walking Football?

There are lots of benefits. You feel happier, you feel more fit, confident. You're learning new things, new skills, and you sleep better.

Another benefit is the cardio. It sounds as though walking, oh, that's easy.
But you're walking constantly. Within that session, you're doing a lot of steps at pace. You're moving side to side, trying to get into positions. Fitness is a big benefit and, of course, friendship. That's a biggie, the team spirit and the laughs.

How has walking football helped you connect to more people?

Definitely. Not just the ladies I play with weekly, but being involved in setting up the charity and sitting on the board of Walking Football Scotland and meeting like-minded people throughout Scotland.

We've gone out to Cyprus, we've gone to different countries, and we've met
people abroad. It's the sort of thing you can have a conversation with anybody about, especially now, with Scotland being in the World Cup, you could be standing at a bus stop and chatting about Scotland, and then you say:

Have you heard of walking football? Have you given it a try?”

Has anything surprised you since starting?

If you told me 14 years ago that it would come to this, I would never have believed you. The growth has been amazing. I think one of the highlights that I've had has been going to Trinidad and Tobago with a team and teaching them about walking football because they thought it was an excellent idea. There's a lot of crime in Trinidad. There is a lot of gang culture, and the police thought that this would be a great sport they could try to get into their community and talk to people while playing the sport.

They were keen to find out more, so I took a group out to Trinidad and Tobago, and we worked with Habitat for Humanity. We helped build a house. Our group had six men and six women, two of the ladies were in their 70s, hand-mixing cement in 35-degree heat and absolutely loving it. It was such a surprise how much everybody embraced the whole idea of it.

“It wasn't just football; it was helping others. And yeah, I think the success of that was just magical. It's great!”

How did you get into International Walking Football?

We decided, as Walking Football Scotland, that we didn't want to rush into it. We implemented the structure of the leagues and then the regional competitions. From there, the idea was to choose a representative team for Scotland. UEFA came up with the International Festival, and it was too good an opportunity really to say no to. We have a mixed team, men and women.

And I knew about it from day one, but not at any point did I think that they would ask me to play. It was a huge surprise. I’m absolutely delighted and very excited.

Photography: Phil Dawson

How does representing Scotland internationally make you feel?

“Very proud, excited, scared, but just going to enjoy every minute of it. It's a lovely team of people.”

Which countries will you be playing in Switzerland?

There are 8 countries involved, including Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self 10 years ago, what would it be?

In my early 50s, I was running the Ageing Well project, so promoting physical activity and healthy living. I suppose I would tell myself to practise a bit more what I preach. Yeah, because it's so easy to get stuck on a laptop working away, organising events, and then you think, I've only done 300 steps today. This is ridiculous.

I would tell myself that it is important to do your step count, to do your strength and balance exercises, to eat healthy, and enjoy your food. You've only got one body, and you really have to look after it so that later on in life you're able to live independently, live fit and healthy to enjoy your life.”

I've been retired for a few months, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it. I've taken a lot of inspiration from the volunteers in the Ageing Well project because they all give up their time to run their weekly sessions. Whether it's badminton, walking groups or dancing. We've got a volunteer who's 93 years old, and he still leads walks. We have people in their 70s playing badminton and playing football. It really inspires you to see them, because they are fit and healthy. They may have osteoporosis of the knees and joints, but they continue, and they enjoy it and just love life.

If someone was on the fence about joining Walking Football, what would you say?

I have come across this a lot. Various reasons why someone is sitting on the fence. Either they don't feel fit enough, or they feel walking is ridiculous. Or maybe feel “I'm not ready for that yet”. And what I say to all of them is, you really should come along.

Find a session close to you and go along. You will be made to feel welcome, and you'll be surprised how much fitness is involved, which is up to you. If you want to race around that park walking, then that's great. But if your fitness levels need to improve, then you can take it at your own pace.

You'll enjoy it. What's not to like? It's our sport. It's Scotland's sport. It's just slowed down. So, give it a go!”

What is your prediction for the Scotland v Brazil game?

I think the Brazil game will be a draw, one-all.